My Garage

Popular searches

London · London borough

Merton motoring statistics

How many cars and electric cars are registered in Merton, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Merton compares with London. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.

Last updated
Records analysed
83,386 licensed vehicles in Merton
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 68,223 +0.8% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 294 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 3,561 5.2% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 4.4% 22nd highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 953 436 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.7% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Merton?

There were 68,223 licensed cars in Merton at the end of June 2026, and 83,386 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 2.3% fewer cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 294 for every 1,000 residents, 24th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Merton

Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.

Licensed cars and vehicles in Merton at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 82,71069,838
2011 82,77069,918
2012 82,85669,770
2013 83,83170,285
2014 84,98070,853
2015 86,03871,752
2016 87,57573,069
2017 89,03672,808
2018 88,30772,414
2019 86,05370,365
2020 85,00969,510
2021 86,80870,850
2022 86,09370,010
2023 84,61169,182
2024 83,23368,271
2025 82,82367,707
2026 83,38668,223

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Licensed vehicles by type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Cars per 1,000 residents

All licensed cars at the end of June, divided by the ONS mid-year population. Company fleets registered locally push this up.

Cars per 1,000 residents at mid-year, Merton compared
Year MertonLondonUnited Kingdom
2011 349313–
2012 340307–
2013 337303–
2014 336303–
2015 336303473
2016 339304480
2017 338306488
2018 335303490
2019 324301493
2020 320296489
2021 329300493
2022 326295489
2023 319290489
2024 312287490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Merton

65.6% of cars in Merton run on petrol and 12.7% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 31.1% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 11.9%, and cars that plug in 9.5%.

Cars by fuel type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Fuel mix over time

Share of licensed cars at the end of March each year.

Share of licensed cars by fuel type in Merton, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 79.9%19.4%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2011 77.4%21.8%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2012 75.0%24.0%0.7%0.0%0.0%
2013 73.0%25.8%0.9%0.0%0.0%
2014 71.6%26.9%1.2%0.0%0.0%
2015 69.7%28.4%1.6%0.0%0.0%
2016 67.5%29.9%2.1%0.1%0.2%
2017 65.6%31.1%2.5%0.1%0.6%
2018 64.6%30.9%3.0%0.2%1.2%
2019 66.3%29.0%3.7%0.3%0.6%
2020 66.6%27.7%4.2%0.5%0.8%
2021 67.4%25.3%5.0%0.9%1.2%
2022 67.9%22.6%6.0%1.8%1.6%
2023 69.4%18.4%7.3%2.6%2.1%
2024 69.8%14.7%8.9%3.4%2.9%
2025 68.0%13.6%10.2%4.4%3.5%
2026 65.6%12.7%11.9%5.2%4.3%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Merton

3,561 battery electric cars were licensed in Merton at the end of June 2026, 5.2% of all cars, 40th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 6,491 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,974.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 4.4% are battery electric (2,801 cars), 10th highest of 33 councils in London. Companies keep 21.3% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.7% of its cars overall. There are also 171 battery electric vans.

Battery electric share of licensed cars

End of March each year. Fleet re-registrations can move a single area’s line sharply.

Battery electric share of licensed cars, Merton compared, end of March each year
Year MertonLondonUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.2%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.3%0.1%
2019 0.3%0.3%0.2%
2020 0.5%0.5%0.4%
2021 0.9%1.1%0.8%
2022 1.8%2.0%1.5%
2023 2.6%3.2%2.3%
2024 3.4%4.5%3.2%
2025 4.4%5.7%4.4%
2026 5.2%7.0%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Merton

There were 953 public chargers in Merton on 1 July 2026, 39 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 436 for every 100,000 residents, 19th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 1.5% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 5.6 privately kept plug-in cars in Merton (UK 12.9), 34th fewest of 361 councils. A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in Merton by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 93939
Apr 2026 93939
Jul 2026 95339

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Merton compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Merton 43618
London 34528
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Merton has 25 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 3.5% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 9.4%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Merton with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Merton 002 2,865 268 9.4% 16.5%
Merton 004 2,638 171 6.5% 10.7%
Merton 010 3,421 219 6.4% 11.3%
Merton 003 2,042 126 6.2% 10.5%
Merton 015 2,941 166 5.6% 9.7%
Merton 001 2,962 158 5.3% 10.2%
Merton 009 2,238 115 5.1% 9.4%
Merton 006 2,449 107 4.4% 7.1%
Merton 011 2,568 112 4.4% 8.1%
Merton 020 3,430 150 4.4% 8.0%
Lowest electric shares
Merton 025 3,612 85 2.4% 4.9%
Merton 012 2,399 65 2.7% 5.8%
Merton 005 2,215 61 2.8% 6.0%
Merton 014 2,857 83 2.9% 6.0%
Merton 007 2,676 77 2.9% 5.9%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026. 1 neighbourhood is left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Merton

Vehicles travelled an estimated 407 million miles on roads in Merton in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Merton
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 407
1994 413
1995 410
1996 417
1997 416
1998 418
1999 425
2000 428
2001 435
2002 433
2003 429
2004 432
2005 433
2006 437
2007 439
2008 436
2009 429
2010 421
2011 413
2012 410
2013 407
2014 407
2015 404
2016 412
2017 406
2018 412
2019 420
2020 338
2021 384
2022 395
2023 400
2024 404
2025 407

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Merton, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 44974
2022 41184
2023 43385
2024 39976
2025 42180

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Merton

Unleaded petrol averages 173.9p a litre across 8 filling stations in Merton, 2.4p above the UK average. Diesel averages 200.5p, 1.8p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Esso MFG Kingston New Malden 169.9p
  2. Esso MFG Rowan Road Merton 169.9p
  3. Colliers Wood Esso Express London 172.9p

Every filling station and price in Merton

How Merton compares

Merton compared with London, England, the UK
Merton 294 5.2% 4.4% 5.7% 436 5.6
London 264 7.0% 3.9% 9.8% 345 5.8
England 440 6.2% 3.2% 10.7% 173 13.4
United Kingdom4445.8%3.1%10.0%17512.9

Private cars per 1,000 people use the ONS mid-2024 population. Chargers are counted at the latest date; plug-in cars at the end of June 2026.

Driving test centres in Merton

There are 2 DVSA car practical test centres in Merton, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 51.0% at Morden (London).

Other centres in London:

DVSA publishes pass rates by centre name, with no address, so centres are placed here by the place name in the name DVSA uses. See pass rates at every test centre.

Councils in London

Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.

Councils in London
Westminster 179 57.9% 7.7% 60.4% 1,378 1.8
City of London 79 24.6% 7.8% 50.4% 443 2.4
Hammersmith and Fulham 199 18.7% 5.2% 22.4% 1,380 1.5
Camden 159 9.7% 7.6% 12.6% 378 5.4
Kensington and Chelsea 239 7.4% 6.7% 8.5% 637 4.7
Brent 232 7.3% 4.0% 12.8% 367 5.1
Barnet 322 6.6% 5.4% 7.2% 288 10.1
Islington 132 6.0% 4.7% 11.6% 386 3.1
Richmond upon Thames 359 5.6% 4.7% 5.6% 642 5.0
Harrow 337 5.5% 4.3% 6.2% 120 22.8
Hillingdon 364 5.4% 3.4% 16.7% 121 20.1
Kingston upon Thames 354 5.2% 4.5% 3.9% 242 11.8
Merton 294 5.2% 4.4% 5.7% 436 5.6
Southwark 162 5.2% 4.3% 8.1% 618 2.1
Wandsworth 214 5.2% 4.4% 5.1% 532 3.6
Tower Hamlets 128 5.0% 3.8% 11.0% 776 1.7
Ealing 274 4.7% 3.6% 7.5% 264 7.6
Redbridge 302 4.7% 3.8% 7.2% 198 11.9
Hackney 138 4.6% 3.4% 10.4% 638 1.6
Haringey 214 4.6% 3.7% 8.9% 135 11.1
Bromley 409 4.5% 3.8% 4.4% 67 42.1
Lambeth 176 4.5% 3.8% 6.6% 244 5.4
Barking and Dagenham 264 4.4% 3.1% 8.6% 100 18.5
Croydon 318 4.3% 3.6% 5.5% 153 13.9
Hounslow 301 4.2% 3.2% 6.8% 233 8.9
Sutton 378 4.2% 3.6% 4.2% 118 20.5
Greenwich 239 4.1% 3.5% 6.3% 101 15.5
Havering 388 3.8% 2.9% 6.1% 95 24.0
Newham 168 3.8% 3.0% 9.3% 159 8.5
Enfield 334 3.6% 2.8% 6.9% 137 14.0
Lewisham 233 3.6% 3.1% 5.6% 133 10.5
Waltham Forest 251 3.6% 2.8% 7.6% 663 2.2
Bexley 382 3.5% 3.0% 6.3% 269 7.9

Data stories to read next

All insights

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 83,386 licensed vehicles in Merton 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 8,038 plug-in vehicles 26 October 2026
Public chargers Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics Department for Transport 1 July 2026 121,171 public chargers (UK) 26 October 2026
Population Mid-year population estimates Office for National Statistics Mid-2024 404 areas 26 October 2026
Neighbourhoods Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales 26 October 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Merton run from the end of 2009.
  • Vehicles are counted at the registered keeper’s postcode: for company cars that is the company’s address, not where the car is driven.
  • Battery electric and plug-in counts come from table VEH0142; petrol, diesel and hybrid counts from VEH0105. “Other fuels” is VEH0105’s other-fuel count less plug-in cars.
  • Charger counts are based on Zapmap data and are official statistics in development. In June 2026 one operator removed about 1,270 private chargers wrongly listed as public, so April and July are not strictly comparable.
  • Neighbourhood figures cover England and Wales only; Scottish data zones and Northern Irish super data zones cannot be placed in councils without lookups we do not hold.
How we calculate these figures All data sources

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.